Out of the Blue and into the Gold

I couldn't really NOT interview Roger Rao. Currently he holds the New Zealand National Cadet, Junior, Secondary School Junior and Senior Mens titles and came seemingly from nowhere to break the TTNZ record for the youngest player to win the National Senior Champs at 13 years of age. Roger also won the Cadet Boys Singles event at the 2010 Oceania Table Tennis Championships and was a member of the Oceania Cadet Team which played the World Cadet Championships in India last year. Incredibly talented for his age and with much still to offer in the future he is one to keep an eye on. Here is my interview with Roger.

Full Name: Roger Rao

Age: 14

Date Of Birth: 07/11/1996

Nation represented: New Zealand

Highest Oceania Ranking (Cadet): 1

Roger Rao at the 2010 Senior National Championships
Image courtesy of infonews.co.nz

Equipment Used?

Blade: Timo Boll ALC-Straight

FH Rubber: Tenergy 05-black

BH Rubber: Tenergy 64-red

Your Career

How long have you been playing table tennis for, when and how did you start?

I’ve been playing table tennis for about 4 years since the 2^nd half of 2007 when I was nearly 11. From the earliest I can recall, I started because I was playing table tennis in a friend’s garage.

Who has been the biggest influence on your career so far?

Probably my parents: They supported me all the way.

What was the highlight of your table tennis career?

Meeting many different people, travelling overseas, and, of course, taking titles!

You were the youngest ever New Zealand Champion at 13 years old, how do you feel about that?

Great!

What's your training schedule for a week period?

Monday: Nothing

Tuesday:1 on 1 training-1 hour, squad training-2 hours

Wednesday: Nothing

Thursday: Interclub

Friday: 1 on 1 training-1 hour

Saturday: Squad training-2 hours

Sunday: Unsure…

What is your goal for the next few years for table tennis?

Just represent NZ in larger more competitive events, such as the Commonwealth Games.

Who has been your biggest rival out on the table since you started playing?

Hmmmmmm. To be serious, I have had far too many to count because when I started playing table tennis, everyone was much better than me-even kids 3 years younger than me! However, my biggest rival in my own age group in NZ is Xu Ning.

Who is your favourite international player and why?

Zhang Jike. He is awesome.

Roger at the National Secondary Schools Competition 2011
Image Courtesy of the Manawatu Standard

Off the Topic Questions

Who’s your favourite sportsperson of all time?

Mmmmmm. Don’t have one…

Favourite food?

I can eat anything/everything. No favourites. (very boring)

What do you do when you aren't playing table tennis?

Probably at home hogging the laptop, or studying, or outside with my mates.

Dream Car

Mmmmmm… I’ve always liked sports cars…probably a Porsche (idk)

Ideal holiday destination?

Europe. Anywhere in Europe would be great.

First thing you would do if you won $1million?

Give some to my family.

Your Team Mates

Who’s the funniest player in the training hall?

Zhiyang Cheng

Who trains the hardest in the training hall?

Me. JOKES! Probably some of the juniors like Roger Wang

Who’s the funniest team player?

Zhiyang Cheng. Again.

Who has the best nickname?

Nicknames??? None bro.

And Lastly

Would you like to add one last tip, or an inspirational message for other young table tennis players looking to succeed?

It’s not quantity that counts. It’s the quality.

Roger's Round the Net Shot 

Auckland Open Under 18 Boys Final 2011

Thanks Roger :)

Auckland Open Mens Singles Final

Highlights from one of the Semi Finals of the Auckland Open Mens Singles 2011:

Peter Craven
Image Courtesy of tabletennis-sinfo.

Teng Teng Liu at Aus Open
Image Courtesy of Greg Letts
www.tabletennis.about.com

                     
                          VS.

Highlights of the Final 

Auckland Open Mens Singles Semi Final

Highlights from one of the Semi Finals of the Auckland Open Mens Singles 2011:

Takaomi Shimokawa

Peter Craven
Image Courtesy of tabletennis-sinfo.

                              VS.

Auckland Open Under 21 Mens Final

Highlights from the final of the Under 21 Mens Singles at Auckland Open 2011:

Teng Teng Liu at Aus Open
Image Courtesy of Greg Letts
www.tabletennis.about.com

Phillip Xiao
Image Courtesy of Matt Hetherington

                             VS.












See the highlights of their match here:

Tony won the match 11-9 in the 5th Set

Auckland Open Under 18 Boys Final

Here are the highlights from the Under 18 Boys Singles Final at the Auckland Open:

Roger Rao
Image Courtesy of Manawatu Standard

Zhiyang Cheng

                      VS.

Highlights of the Final

China's Dragon Breathes Fire Once Again

It has been a while for Chinese Superstar Ma Long who has been plagued with injury in previous months and unable to compete in many pro tour events this year. Now he has taken advantage of being back on incredible form to win his 2009 title back at the 2011 China Harmony Open in Suzhou, China.

Ma Long cruised to the final after a 4-1 win over Japanese player Jun Mizutani, while his final opponent dispatched of 18 year old Yan An who had successfully defeated Wang Hao and Xu Xin on his way to the semi final a great sign of what's to come from China but another worry for the rest of the table tennis world as another Chinese player ascends the ranks.

It was reigning World Champion Zhang Jike, 3rd seeded in the tournament who was to meet Ma Long in the final but Ma Long in fabulous form was able to eventually dominate his opponent with a 4-2 victory.

Ma Long, 2011 China Harmony Open Champion
Image Courtesy of ITTF

Check out video coverage of the event on ITTV http://www.ittf.com/ittv 

Highlights of the match have been made by TTProvider here:

Roger Rao's Sick Round the Net Shot

Auckland Open 2011 Under 18 Boys Singles Final
Roger Rao vs. Zhiyang Cheng

Score is 4-4 and Rao leads 2-1. Check out this point ;)

Ma Lin Eliminated in First Round by Russian Backbencher

It was an unexpected and incredible result which was brought to my attention, Ma Lin 2nd seed of this year's China Harmony Open in Suzhou, eliminated by 29 year old Alexey Liventsov (RUS).

Liventsov largely unknown recorded a victory against Sweden's Jens Lundqvist in the early stages of the 2009 Spanish Open. Sitting at a world ranking of 120, Liventsov has never ventured into the world's top 100. However he has registered some impressive wins. Aside from Lundqvist who was ranked 31 in the world at the time he has also beaten in the last 4 years:

Chuang Chih-Yuan (TPE)
Chen Weixing (AUT)
Daniel Kosiba (HUN)
Emmanuel Lebesson (FRA)
Robert Svensson (SWE)
Ueda Jin (JPN)

Russia's 29 year old Alexey Liventsov

Sad day for Ma Lin fans around the world, but nevertheless a nice change from the usual, will be interesting to see how the draw plays out and whether anyone else will be inspired to get stuck into the 4 Chinese players remaining in the competition; Xu Xin, Zhang Jike, Wang Hao and Ma Long.

Successor in the Wings for Germany's Top Spot

Another interview and another player who has cracked the world's top 20. Patrick Baum now ranked number 6 among European players and currently 23rd in the world, has made incredible grounds in the last few years and made his way into the German Men's team who succeeded in making the WTTC Teams Final against China in 2010 and of course made an astounding effort in coming 2nd at last years European Championships defeating former World Champion Werner Schlager of Austria and 3 time World Cup winner Vladimir Samsonov of Russia. It is an honour for me to present this interview to you all. Thanks so much Patrick!

Full Name: Patrick Timo Baum 
Age: 24 
Date Of Birth: 23.06.87 
Nation represented: Germany 
Highest World Ranking: 19 

Equipment Used? 

Blade: Baum Carrera Senso 
FH Rubber: Acuda 
BH Rubber: Acuda 
 

Image Courtesy of the ETTU

Your Career 

How long have you been playing table tennis for, when and how did you start? 
I started at 6 years old. I started because my older brother also played table tennis and I wanted to do the same like him. 

Who has been the biggest influence on your career so far? 
My father had the biggest influence on me, he showed me how to play and coaches me until I was 20. Also today I am practising sometimes with him. 

What has been the highlight of your table tennis career so far? 
Last year, when I got Vice European Champion in Singles was the best result right now. 
 

Patrick's amazing Semi Final match vs Vladimir Samsonov at the 2010 European Championships

Video by TTCountenance

What's does your training schedule for a week period involve? 
I am playing about 4-5 hours table tennis every day and sometimes fitness. 

What is your next big goal for table tennis? 
I would like to come under the top 20 in world ranking again. 

Who has been your biggest rival out on the table since you started playing? 
I didn't have a big rival out of table tennis. 

What do you think is the most important thing in table tennis for becoming a successful player on the international stage? 
I think you have to start quite early with table tennis, that you can learn everything and be very safe. 

Do you think Germany has what it takes to win the World Team Championships next year? 
I think we had a little chance last time in Moscow in the final against china, but it is hard to come to the final and then we will see. 

Image Courtesy of ITTF

Off the Topic Questions 

Favourite food? 
Italian 

What do you do when you aren't playing table tennis? 
I like doing other sports, most of all football 

Dream Car? 
Audi R8 

Ideal holiday destination? 
Carribean

First thing you would do if you won $1million? 
Change into euro :)

Your Team Mates 
Boll,Süß,Jakab 

Who’s the funniest player in the training hall? 
Janos Jakab 

Who trains the hardest in the training hall? 
Many players are practising a lot every day 

Who’s the funniest team player? 
All of my team mates are very funny. 

Who has the best nickname? 
Bolle for Bojan Tokic 

And Lastly 


Would you like to add one last tip, or an inspirational message for other  table tennis players looking to succeed? 

I wish everybody all the best and a lot of fun with playing table tennis. 

Thanks Patrick, best of luck at the China Open, you can follow the results at http://ittf.com/competitions/competitions2.asp?Competition_ID=2069&category=PT

 

Ticks Across the Board for Carmencita Alexandrescu

It was my distinct pleasure to interview a very talented woman with a great passion for the sport of table tennis. Carmencita (or Camy as she likes to be known) is a woman of many hats in table tennis: a player, an ITTF coach, an umpire and of course a mother of two daughters who both play too. A great role model for everyone of all areas of the sport, hope you enjoy the read and thank you Camy!

Full Name:

Carmencita Doinita Alexandrescu

Age:
43

Date Of Birth:
06/25/1968

Nation represented:
Romania /Belgium / USA

Highest  Ranking:
ITTF, Romanian, Belgian and American Coach ! 

Equipment Used:
Blade: Amultart ZL-carbon
FH Rubber: Tenergy 05
BH Rubber: Tenergy 05

Camy in her Umpire Role

Your Career

How long have you been playing table tennis for, when and how did you start?

I started playing Table Tennis when I was almost 7 years old in 1975 on and off but I'm still involved till this day. I began practice performance in Clubul Sportiv Municipal Buzau . My parents decided to put me in this sport because they don't want to see me playing on the street and worry about me !


What has been the highlight of your table tennis career so far?

When I won the " Silver Bat " because of my multiple sportswomen medals


Who is your biggest rival out on the table tennis table?

I do not have a specific rival in my career . The only thing that bothers me sometimes are the players with long pips ! :)


You have a number of different hats in table tennis, you are a player, a coach and an umpire. How fulfilling is that and how did you get involved with all of these?

I love Table Tennis and nothing can make me give up no matter how hard some people around me try to make me give up !


What do you think of the state of women's table tennis around the world?

I wish from my heart to see the beautifulness , the feminity, the sexy women players around the world to use more often skirts , nice shirts more feminine with more curves . Making Table Tennis sexier like other sports example Tennis, Gymnastics or Figure Skating where the womens have long hair , nice make up and beautiful attractive clothes where lots of people want to see and enjoy ! I encourage every womens teams , Table Tennis Company's to support and promote the image and development of womens in Table Tennis !

Camy in her Mum hat, we know where daughters Luoana and Cynthia get their dashing looks from I think!

You are also a mother with two beautiful daughters who are both also players, what has been your favourite table tennis trip with the family so far?

We just went on a trip to Lake Tahoe California with players and coaches from India, China, and Italy organzied by ICC Milpitas the ITTF hot spot in America where I coach for the last three months in the Summer Table Tennis Camp. We had a wonderful time with different cultures !


What are your goals as a player, coach, umpire and mum for the near future?

I will be focused more and more in the coaching field because I want in the future to see more and more good players coming from USA in top world ranking ! Like a mom I want my daughters to study and make their dreams come true !


Off the Topic Questions

Who’s your favourite sportsperson of all time?

My favorite sportsperson was, is, and will be Jean-Michel Saive "The Fighter " because he is still showing me to never give up ,go forward no matter how old you are ,be nice ,funny and enjoy this sport . I will always have big respect for Jean -Mi !


Favourite food?

I love Sushi and Sashimi !


What do you do when you aren't playing table tennis?

I like to spend quality time with my family and friends , shopping with my daughters going to the gym and helping promote the Australian company ttEDGE that is directed by William Henzell which is also sponsoring us ! 

Camy sporting a ttEdge shirt.

See http://www.ttedge.com

Dream Car?

Red Ferrari 


Ideal holiday destination?

I recommend Las Vegas because it's a unique place in the world with lots of fun and excitement !


First thing you would do if you won $1million?

Me and my daughters to have own sports fragrance .


Your Team Mates

Players : Zhou Xin -China , Anol Kashyap-India , Jiten Gidla -India , Maggie Tian -China , Ariel Hsing -USA , Lily Zhang -USA
And in The Coaching field Rajul Sheth , also the Director of ICC -Milpitas Table Tennis Club India/USA , Coach Massimo Constantini -Italy and Coach Jayanta Pushilal -India 

Left to Right: Massimo Constantini, Zoran Kalinic, Camy, Rajul Sheth

Who’s the funniest player in the training hall?

Maggie Tian because her accent sounds funny and she make us feel good around her !


Who trains the hardest in the training hall?

Ariel Hsing and Lily Zhang they are juniors full of energy and with a lots of accomplished results ! 


Who has the best nickname?

The best nickname is Chinku a player from India that trains here in the club .

Carmen's Highlights Video 

And Lastly

Would you like to add one last tip, or an inspirational message for other  table tennis players, coaches and/or umpires looking to succeed?

We need good players , coaches and umpires all around the world with lots of dedication  !
Never Give Up ! And the best Quotation - " Winners  never quit and quitters never win "

Great words of advice there, love the quote too. Thanks so much Camy, keep doing the great work you do!

Seedings for the 2011 China Harmony Open

Seedings for this year's China Open to be held in Suzhou, 24-28 August.

Guo Yue of China

Ma Lin in Action

MENS

1, Wang Hao

2. Ma Lin

3. Zhang Jike

4. Ma Long

5. Jun Mizutani

6. Vladimir Samsonov

7. Xu Xin

8. Joo Se Hyuk

9. Oh Sang Eun

10. Ryu Seung Min

WOMENS

1. Li Xiaoxia

2. Ding Ning

3. Guo Yan

4. Guo Yue

5. Feng Tianwei

6. Ai Fukuhara

7. Kasumi Ishikawa

8. Wang Yuegu

9. Tie Yana

10. Hirano Sayaka

Chen Qi absent from this years draw sadly!

All images courtesy of www.news.cn

Promises to be a great competition with other great players such as Lee Sang Su, Patrick Baum, Seiya Kishikawa, Adrien Mattenet, Chuang Chih-Yuan, Par Gerell and a few others already in the main draw also for the mens.

The women's seeds share the draw so far with Viktoria Pavlovich, Li Jiao, Sun Bei Bei and Jia Wen amongst others.

Promises to be a marvelous spectacle of table tennis with all these top players battling it out for the prestidge of winning.

Karlsson Holds Hope for Another Swedish Number 1

It was a great honour for me to secure this interview with one of Sweden's most successful players and renowned coach, Peter Karlsson. I hope you can all take something away from this interview. Thanks Peter!

Full Name: Peter Karlsson

Date Of Birth: 29/05/69

Nation represented: Sweden

Highest Ranking: 4 ( 1994)

Equipment Used/using?

Blade: STAG Peter Karlsson Carbon

FH Rubber: STAG TEC

BH Rubber: STAG Peter Karlsson Gen2

Peter Karlsson at the 2002 Pro Tour Grand Finals

Your Career

How long have you been playing table tennis for, when and how did you start?

Started at 7 with my brother at home on the kitchen table.

What was the highlight of your table tennis career as a player?

2000: Singles Champion at European Championships

1991: World Champion Doubles

4times World Champion in Teams (-89, -91, -93, -00 )

What is Sweden's philosophy on table tennis, I know you sincerely believe you can produce another world number 1, what does Sweden need to do to achieve this?

We have traditions, knowledge, history and a good system ( which needs to be improved). We dont have BIG number of players. As we only have a small number of players we need extreme personalities with:

1/ Driving force

2/ Ready to work hard

3/ Passion for the sport that makes them do something “extra”.

4/ Players who are ready to invest time and money to improve.

What has changed in Sweden since the era's of Waldner and Appelgren?

Life has changed..... kids today have so many things to choose from. Not only sport, also computer, all different types of games. The number of players in Sweden has gone down a lot in the last 20-25 years. The competition inside the country is not as hard as it used to be. BUT....I still believe we can come back to the top!!!

What do you think makes the Chinese so dominant at the sport currently?

They have: traditions, good system, good history, knowledge and money.

Combine this with a BIG number of players.

The status of table tennis is high in China. Parents are dreaming of having future champions. All these things makes the competition inside the country very hard, this drives the level of the sport up!!

What kind of training programmes are the top Swedish players undergoing presently (ie Par Gerell, Robert Svensson etc)?

I'm not the right man to answer this question...

What do Europe need to increase the standard of their game to compete with Asia in the next 5-10 years?

We need to improve the footwork and also we need to improve physically. I believe we need to spend more hours in the hall.

Who do you think in terms of team events will be the first country to beat China in the future based on their current trends and development of emerging players?

South Korea

Peter winning Gold in the Mens Singles at the 2000 European Championships

Image Courtesy of the Tribune.

Off the Topic Questions

Who’s your favourite sportsperson of all time?

Björn Borg

Favourite food?

French food...

What do you do when you aren't involved with Table Tennis?

Spending time with my family and friends.

Dream Car

Im not a big fan of cars.... but a Porche would be ok!!

Ideal holiday destination?

Thailand with my family

First thing you would do if you won $1million?

Today Im doing things for the non profitable organisation “Peace and Sport”.

I would definately increase my involvement with them if I won that much money.

Peter Karlsson vs Oh Sang Eun  2005 WTTC Quarter Final

Your Team Mates (or coaching students) 

Who’s the funniest player in the training hall?

Lin Zhigang , a chinese player who I played with 5 years in Nevers , France.

Who trains the hardest in the training hall?

I have seen so many players who have trained hard. Not fair to mention only one.....

Who has the best nickname?

Appelgren ( Äpplet= The apple)

And Lastly

Would you like to add an inspirational message to readers to help them achieve their goals?

Achieving goals is the end station of a goalsetting, right??

Lets make the journey ( which is very long!!) enjoyable!!!

HAVE FUN AND ENJOY WHAT YOU ARE DOING, this will increase your chances to be succesful.

BEST REGARDS

Peter Karlsson

Blog News 22/08/11

Well the blog seems to be taking off really well and I'm putting in a lot of time. So far I have some great stuff lined up in the next few weeks which I'd like to share with you all:
Here is a list of Interviews I have confirmed and sent Questions for:


Peter Karlsson - Highest WR number 4, Swedish National Coach and 2000 European Champion
Patrick Baum - Currently 23rd in the World and ranked 6th in Europe and 4th in Germany
Biba Golic - The 'Anna Kournikova' of table tennis and Killerspin Representative
Dan Ives - Founder and Administrator of Table Tennis Daily
Carmencita Alexandrescu - USA Player, Coach and Umpire and Mum!
Peter Jackson - NZ Hall of Fame Player, highest world rank around 110.
Alexander Franzen - Rising Swedish Junior player, has partnered Jorgen Persson in doubles too!
Kevin Wu - Rising NZ Junior player, training currently in China
Roger Rao -Youngest NZ Mens Champion at 13 years old, current NZ Cadet, Junior and Mens Champ
Shona Cudby - Table Tennis through the eyes of one of NZ's most dedicated admins, a TTNZ Life Member.

Patrick Baum WR 23

Image Courtesy of ITTF

I am also hoping to do a follow up on the NZ Team which went to the World Uni Games, hoping to get some match coverage and photos and ask some more questions, throw in some silly ones of course just to keep it fun.

And of course there are 3 tournaments coming up, Auckland, Manawatu and Waikato Opens so I will be covering those and possibly doing my own personal reflections from my performances at the tournaments.

To top it all off the China Open starts soon so I will be writing on the conclusion of that event as it is one of the most attractive international pro tour events in the World.

Hope this will keep you reading! :) any suggestions for the blog please go to Contact Me and send me your ideas. Thanks!